Send "Florence and the Machine " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 When you have a voice like Florence Welch, it’s only going to be a matter of time before you get noticed. And for Welch herself, this was to be a few years ago, inside the loos at a nightclub, while rather intoxicated. Even more strangely, it was Welch herself who decided that this was to be the when and the where it would happen. Dragging Mairead Nash, one half of the DJ outfit Queenz of Noise, into the toilets and serenading her with an Etta James song, Florence Welch got her big break. Nash, who now manages the band, later recalled that it “turned out to be one of those slow-motion moments. I got goose bumps all over.” When you hear her too, you'll understand why. Since then, Florence and her cronies haven’t looked back, bagging the Critics Choice award at the Brits, coming third in the BBC’s Sound of 2009, and gathering an army of followers along the way. I now happen to be one of them. Welch’s voice has been quickly likened to the legends – Bush and Bjork – and while that’s not embarrassingly wide of the mark, a more accurate comparison would be to Natasha Khan of Bat For Lashes or My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden. She has a stunning range and compelling delivery, but currently lacks the superhuman diversity of the big guns. Nevertheless, as soon as Lungs’ opener ‘Dog Days Are Over’ gets going, there can be no argument that the eccentric red-head is a major talent. Handclaps, pianos, bass drums, and Welch’s impassioned, fiery, gut-punching vocal blows all come together in a frenzy of furiously soulful indie-pop to create surely one of the best singles of the year thus far. Another of the singles, ‘Rabbit Heart’, features a dangerously infectious gospel-esque chorus that will have club DJs everywhere queuing up for their chance to meddle with the track’s harps, pianos and off-Narnian lyrics (but we all beg you, just don’t)....full text |
| Guardian |
| to be the singer the record companies wanted her to be: namely, a more rocky graduate from the Lily Allen school of wayward girls. Then one day she began banging on the walls of her mate's home studio, instead of playing the drums, picked out a melody on the piano (which she can't play), and wrote Between Two Lungs, a weird and rather wonderful song about a kiss. If you like Björk or Kate Bush, you'll love it. If you like Nick Cave, Tom Waits or even Siouxsie, you'll find much to enjoy elsewhere, from the soulful blues of Girl With One Eye to the ghostly love song I'm Not Calling You a Liar. Florence and the Machine Lungs (Island) £12.72 An intense young woman who read a lot of Edgar Allan Poe as a child, Florence specialises in dark, gothic imagery - werewolves, wedding dresses, bleeding hearts and coffins - and quirky tunes that start quietly and build into big, soaring climaxes. The songs are generally angry, with an undercurrent of violence and/or animal passion, and a nagging hook to keep you there. When this girl falls in love, you gather, she really falls. When it's over, the only recourse is pain, rage and vast quantities of alcohol. The current single Rabbit Heart was written after her label asked her for something more upbeat, but ended up with a typically jaunty chorus about sacrifice: "This is the gift/ It comes with a price/ Who is the lamb/And who is the knife?"....full text |
| Bbc |
| Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock since the beginning of the year, you’ll be aware of Florence and the Machine. Before even releasing an album, the first lady and her revolving band have been championed by BBC Introducing, invited to play Glastonbury and support Blur at Hyde Park, and won the Critic's Choice Award at this year’s BRITs. Now they're being tipped for Mercury Prize glory. How can an album possibly live up to the pressure of all that expectation? I don't quite know… but it does by the gallon. Florence Welch's distinctive voice intertwines beautifully with harps, strings and drums as she sings her inimitable 'soul inspired indie' and 'Tim Burton-style fairytales'. The gothic pop of Lungs has been excellently produced by a crack team - Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Jack Penate, Maximo Park), James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons, Last Shadow Puppets) and Steve Mackay (Pulp, M.I.A.)....full text |
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